In the dynamic world of airport infrastructure development, Vantage builds partnerships that deliver ambitious developments by balancing the priorities of both airports and airlines to bring transformations to life that benefit every stakeholder and create exceptional passenger experiences.

We recently caught up with Patrick Heck, Vice President, Business Development at Vantage Group to learn more about his career journey and what he’s learned in his business development role at Vantage.

Having held executive roles at United Airlines and Denver International Airport, Patrick has more than 20 years of experience in the aviation industry and brings a proven track record of delivering innovative solutions to complex airport projects.

Our Fast Five interview covers:

• Patrick’s career journey and how he got into aviation
• His favorite part of working at Vantage
• Keys to a successful negotiation
• A skill that’s invaluable to his day-to-day work
• One word to describe Vantage employees

What inspired you to work in aviation? Is this something you’ve always had an interest in?

I was a farm kid who majored in music and wanted to sing on Broadway. So, there was not necessarily a logical path from there to where I am today. But I always had an interest and a passion for aviation, so when an opportunity came up, I took it — and the rest is history. I left aviation for one year to work in real estate as a CFO and came right back because I just found this industry too interesting to leave behind.

What’s your favorite part of working at Vantage?

One of my favorite parts is the shared passion for what we do. Our people have worked at airports, and airlines, and understand all sides of the business. I have found that a lot of my colleagues share a very strong passion for the aviation industry and how interesting our careers can be. I think that’s a really important aspect of who Vantage is—people who fundamentally like the idea of aviation.

What are the keys to a successful negotiation between partners?

There are a few elements to a successful negotiation. There must be a fundamental understanding of the investment—what are the key objectives the airline or airport partner is trying to achieve and how Vantage can leverage our value proposition to meet them. The understanding of goals is essential. We must also be able to explain to an airline or airport the value we’re bringing and how they’ll benefit, outlining how we can achieve what they want, and make it even better.

What’s one skill you’ve found invaluable to your day-to-day work?

Adaptability. There’s a nexus between airports and airlines and we sit in the middle. It’s important for everyone to have a role to play and for us to understand that our role might differ completely from project to project – sometimes an airline partner is going to drive the process, other times it’s very airport driven and we need to be able to react to all situations. For us, flexibility in how we operate is key to Vantage’s business model—this quality is what enables us to be in the unique position of working with both airports and airlines.

What is one word you would use to describe Vantage employees?

Integrators. We listen to all stakeholders—airlines, airports, regulators, passengers—to understand each one’s unique challenges, and seamlessly integrate to find common goals to facilitate outcomes in a way that meets the needs of all parties. They’re not always easy processes, but that’s where our deep aviation expertise and outlook on partnerships comes in.